Volume 01- Issue 01

Pages: 1-19

In this paper, a case study of an experienced teacher is highlighted illuminating her understanding as a caring agent in the classroom, her caring ways to enhance teacher-student relationships and how she incorporated empathy as a basis of caring in her moral lessons. Methods such as non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, teacher’s journal and document analysis were adopted in over eight months of this study. The findings highlighted teacher modeling, engaging students and pedagogical content knowledge as central themes in teacher exhibiting caring to students. In displaying caring, it also accentuates the approaches the teacher embarked in developing empathy among the culturally diverse students in the classroom.

Pages: 20-29

Malaysia is a multicultural country constituting three major ethno-cultural groups, Malay and Bumiputera, Chinese and Indian. Owing to its diverse cultures attempts through a number of channels, politics, economics and social were made to bring about national integration. School is thought to be the most effective platform to bring about national integration based on the multicultural framework. This study examines the influence of both the selected school and student background variables on integration. The survey conducted on Form Four and Form Five students found that integration is not monolithic but tends to be interpreted into three frameworks or models: assimilation, multiple-identities and multiculturalism. Ethno-religious-cultural backgrounds seem to be much more influential than the school variables in determining not only the strength but also student preference for a specific integration framework or model..

Pages: 30-42

Recruiting and employing native speaker teachers of English Language (NST) in non-native speakers’ context are widely practised in countries which learn and use the target language taught by the native speaker teachers (NST) as either as a second or a foreign language. This paper reviews selected journals and thesis on the issues of Native and Non-native Speaker Teachers (NST & NNST). It covers on students’, as well as the Native and Non-Native Speaker Teachers’ (NNST) self-perceptions and attitudes. This review discovers almost the same pattern of students’ attitudes and perceptions towards native speaker teachers. Most studies reviewed indicate that most of the non-native learners of the target language have positive attitude towards native speaker teachers. They view native speaker teachers as the model of the target language learnt and believe that the native speaker teachers could provide a great example in learning pronunciation and speaking skill. In addition, this review also identifies that learners believe that their non-native teachers are compatible in teaching the language as they have experienced in being second language learners. As such, they are more empathic and are able to apply the suitable teaching approaches for the learners in learning the language. In contrast, the learners view their non-native speaker teachers are weak in teaching oral communication skills as they believe that in order to learn communication skills, native speaker models are required. However, the learners still prefer the collaborative teaching of native and non-native speaker teachers of the language when learning the target language. This is because they take the native speaker teachers as their model to learn the language and the non-native speaker teachers as their interpreter. Nonetheless, this review also finds that learners value both native and non- native teachers of the language.

Pages: 43-54

The purpose of this study is to find out whether the first year student nurses
able to learn and develop the psychomotor skills for basic nursing care using web-based learning environment. More importantly, the researcher investigated whether web-based learning environment using self regulated learning strategy able to help students to apply the psychomotor skills in the real world. In this qualitative design research, samples were assessed for cognitive and psychomotor learning. The samples were first year student nurses enrolled in diploma in nursing. After learning to apply and remove sterile gloves via web based, students were assessed on their cognitive and performance skills. Results showed that majority of students obtained better cognitive skills results and able to demonstrate the skills effectively.

Pages: 55-63

This study examined the types of roles played by students during peer response
sessions and investigated how the students’ roles facilitated learning. This qualitative case study involved six Grade 10 mixed-proficiency level students from a secondary school in Malaysia. Data were collected through multiple sources. The findings indicated that the students were engaged in multiple roles during the interaction sessions which stimulated their thinking skills and led to mutual learning. The findings suggest that English language curriculum needs to give due attention to students’ role in the ‘student-centred learning approach’ to empower them with independent learning.

Pages: 64-70

Most of the tests and inventories used by counseling psychologists have been
developed using CTT; IRT derives from what is called latent trait theory. A number of important differences exist between CTT- versus IRT-based approaches to both test development and evaluation, as well as the process of scoring the response profiles of individual examinees. The purpose of this research is to compare the item difficulty and item discrimination of the Mathematical ability scale using CTT and IRT methods across 1, 2, and 3 parameters. The developed instrument was administered to tenth grade sample of N=602. The data gathered was analyzed for possible relationship of the item characteristics using CTT and IRT methods. Results indicate that the 3- parameter logistic model has the most comparable indices with CTT, furthermore, CTT and IRT models (1-parameter logistic model and 3-parameter logistic model) can be used independently or altogether to describe the nature of the items characteristics.

About

The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences (MOJES) is peer review, open access online publication addressing the current issues in the field of Educational Sciences. MOJES serves as a forum of researchers, staff and students to raise issues across disciplinary boundaries and facilitate exchange of views in the field of educational science. This journal is published electronically four times a year. Potential articles should be reviewed by members of an editorial board anonymously. The reviewing process usually takes three to eight weeks. Papers should be submitted to Assoc. Professor Datin Dr. Sharifah Norul Akmar Syed Zamr (snorul@um.edu.my) or Mr. Mohd Norazlin Bin Mansor (muhammad@um.edu.my ) electronically as a word-processed file.